Free Swarm Removal

Free swarm removal service

To Bee or Not To Bee is proud to serve the community by offering a free swarm removal service. We have a network of over 150 beekeepers along the front range from Longmont down to Colorado Springs. Because we have such a vast network, we can often have a beekeeper collect a swarm within one hour of receiving the call.

If you have a swarm of bees that you need to have collected, please call (303) 728-4422

About honey bee swarms

Honey bee swarms are a natural part of the life cycle of honey bees. In the spring as part of their reproductive strategy, honey bees build up their numbers and swarm. Approximately half of the adult bees leave with the old queen and go looking for a new place to establish a hive. The remaining bees stay behind and rear a new queen and continue at their old location. Reproductive swarming usually starts mid-April and continues through the summer with the prime season being in May.

When they swarm, they typically collect on a tree branch surrounding the queen although we have seen them on fences, cars and just about anything else you can imagine. They stay in this temporary spot for a few hours to a few days while scout bees are out looking for a new location. They will eventually leave on their own, but sometimes instead of a hollow tree, the home they move into is yours. For this reason, we prefer to have beekeepers come collect them promptly.

Swarms are typically docile. Because a honey bee swarm’s primary goal is finding a new home, they don’t have much motivation to sting bystanders. But, because there are usually several thousand bees in a swarm, they can be intimidating. It’s probably best to give them some space so that they don’t feel threatened.

Swarms collected in 2016

To Bee on our swarm list

If you are a beekeeper and would like to be on our swarm list, you may use the link on the bottom of this page to contact us.

Our swarm list is map-based. This means the email you send us should include a location that you would like your pin on the map to be. While most people use their home address, any place that you want to respond to swarm calls near is acceptable.

We also need to know the maximum height you can retrieve a swarm from, and if you have a bee-vac.